One month, ten days and one hour
by Kuroda Miharu
Summary: just a small fic, almost a mirror of my fist fic 'Lost Hope' with the idea but different, read to find out. KakaIru - don't like it then please don't read
1. One month, nine days and twenty one hour

**One month, ten days and one hour **

**One month, nine days and twenty one hours**

He sighed.

His strong arms holding a cushion into his chest as he laid out on the couch. His Itcha Itcha book lay open against the wall where it had been flung three weeks ago.

He closed his eye assumed to be eyes, but that is not certain bringing the cushion tighter into his chest.

His hitai-ate lay loosely over his Sharingan eye, his silver hair framing his face in an unruly manner.

If you looked closely enough you would be able to see his foot prints in the thin layer of dust that now rested on the wooden floor.

A tear slipped from his visible eye. He normally wouldn't show any weakness in front of another shinobi but it was only the one ANBU outside, who he knew to be Uchiha Sasuke.

It had taken him three years to finally let the brown-haired Chuunin into his life. The same Chuunin waited for another two years before he was given access to the silver-haired nin's heart entirely.

He slowly rolled off the couch and headed to the bedroom. He curled up on his side of the bed, arms still clutching the cushion to his body.

If he had just let his heart out sooner, they would have been together for longer. The Chuunin had taken a long time to build up the courage to talk to him and he himself refused to open up for a long time out of the fear of loosing his 'Ruka, for the fear that he would be taken just like everyone else he had loved.

He had been right to be reserved, and now he wished that he had locked his heart away deeper where Iruka could not have found it, just to keep him safe, even if it meant that the scarred-nosed nin would move on.

He turned to face the blank wall; his had moving momentarily to pick up the dolphin plushie off the floor before crushing it into the cushion and his body.

His love had gone on a mission over a month ago One month, nine days and twenty seven hours ago to be exact on a mission that should have taken a week and a bit, just over two max, so when that time almost double the shinobi began to worry.

Sasuke sighed as he watched his former sensei curl up on the half empty bed.

He knew it had been a long time before his fellow shinobi had let another nin into his heart because of the urge to protect. He knew that they completed each other and needed each other. He also knew what it was like to wait for a lover to come back from a mission, though he had never had to wait as long as this, especially as they had found Iruka's tags but not his body or other members of his team.

He shook his head; the sad expression covered by his porcelain mask, Hokage Naruto would need to know that it was another sleepless night for on of his best.

Kakashi was no longer teaching, having failed his second Genin class faster than the time it took to learn the names of Team 7, and he only took the most dangerous missions he could on his own, maybe just hoping that it was his last, who was to know?

He sighed again, looking up at the stars, wishing that Kakashi would see that the sacrifice unknown how big Iruka made was not to be wasted like this and he needed to keep Iruka's and his beliefs alive and protect their village.


	2. One month, nine days and twenty three hr

**One month, ten days and one hour**

**One month, nine days and twenty three hours **

The great copy-nin squirmed under the covers of his double bed unable to shut down his mind for even a few moments of rest from his mental torment.

The ANBU wished that he could help his former sensei in his half-empty bed and sighed momentarily lifting his mask from his face to rub his temples before quickly letting the mask fall again.

Kakashi brought his plushie up to his face and gave it a quick mask-covered kiss on what would be the bridge of its nose before nuzzling it into his neck.

There was a build up of chakra nearby as another ANBU ran towards Sasuke Uchiha over the roof tops to his vantage point that overlooked Kakashi in his room.

There was a pause before the other member took the final few slow steps towards the Uchiha, their own mask and black cloak concealing their identity.

"Just to warn you, I will be sending her over in a couple of minutes to get him so don't worry when you see her." The other ANBU drawled from behind his mask, facing away from Sasuke and looking over the restless nin.

The Uchiha nodded, knowing who he would be seeing in that room soon without being given the name, he looked at the other ANBU as they taw their eyes from the copy-nin below.

"How long has he been back?"

"Nearly seventeen hours." Came the reply.

He nodded again, had it really taken that long to get him to talk, were his injuries that bad or was it at his request because he knew that he needed rest before seeing the copy-nin.

"He was in good shape, answered all the questions in under an hour and then just asked for some rest before others came, we had Neji check over him and Sakura look after him, just the three of us." Came a reply to unasked questions.

The Uchiha looked up to his partner and smiled behind the mask, "See you later Shika?"

"Hn." There was a curt nod before he took his leave, not wanting to make the other nin wait for too long.

Sasuke smiled as the other ANBU ran off in the direction to collect the only person who would be able to break the news without a dozen or so kunai being lobbed at them from a very tired and emotionally strained but very precise copy-nin.

He sat down on the roof top taking one last long look at the great shinobi that had been reduced to nothing from the events over the month or so.

…

Kakashi sighed as he wondered what was going on, there was no scheduled swap for the ANBU watching him, he knew because he had had Sasuke watching over him all the time with no change over until the morning at about seven.

That new chakra presence was not unusual but he could not place it or hear what they were saying, his skills no longer up to scratch as they should be as a shinobi.

He started to berate himself as he knew that a shinobi's life was a difficult one with many consequences. It was part of what they do to put their lives on the line and so they should not get into relationships as they could be taken down at any time.

However everyone needs someone even if it was for a short period of time.

He twisted, as he felt that chakra presence leave, to look at the ceiling, still trying to get some form of rest...Twenty three hours.

_A/N Thanks for reading, please leave a review so I know what you think of it, one chapter left K.M._


	3. One month, ten days and one hour

**One month, ten days and one hour**

**One month, ten days and one hour**

Through the open window in the kitchen a kunoichi entered the quiet flat in her black and grey attire and placed a food package on the kitchen table as she walked past on her way to the 'sleeping' nin.

She slowly pushed the door to the bedroom open and took a tentative step into the room to find two kunai implanted in her neck.

She disappeared into small clouds and another stepped into the room sighing lightly as she did, "'Kashi, time to go."

She got no verbal response from the ninja in the bed but hoped that the message had got through, but you could never be sure with the copy-nin, "Che, now would be good I am on a mission in an hour and I need you somewhere else."

There was a rustle of sheets and she knew that he would get ready, "Meet me with ANBU."

"Hn."

…

The Uchiha watched as she approached him, leaving the other nin to get ready. She stood still waiting for the copy-nin to meet her outside so that she could take him to where he needed to be.

A tired chakra presence approached and she looked to see the nin before her. She nodded to him then to Kakashi as she started to move in the direction of her destination.

The ANBU stood and watched as they ran over the rooftops at Chuunin pace, _must be tired_, before turning away for the night, there was no need to watch for any suicide attempts for the rest of the night so he could go and catch up with Shika.

…

As they ran over the roof tops there were no more words exchanged until only a few minutes away from the destination where she stopped and looked the nin in the eye, who up till now had been following her for no apparent reason.

She sighed as she took in his withdrawn appearance, she was sad that he was in this state but hopeful that he would soon change back again.

"'Kashi, just follow me, no questions, ne?"

He nodded, too tired to be himself and defy that straight away by asking 'why?' like she wanted him too, like he would have done at any other time.

"Hn." She nodded and continued for a few minutes until they reached the hospital and she glanced back and saw Kakashi openly flinch at the thought of going in there.

She shook her head and walked in with the copy-nin a few steps behind. Once inside she found the pink haired medic-nin and followed her through the maze which was the hospital. The medic pointed to a door that opened into a private room and then went back to her other rounds for the night.

The kunoichi walked to the door and then put a hand out before Kakashi could enter and looked up into his eye, "Don't do anything stupid."

She stepped back to allow the nin to pass through the door and see who was lying in the middle of starched hospital sheets, while he did not allow any hopes to even form in his mind.

He looked at the bed and there with their head resting on the almost solid pillow, attached to a heart monitor and drip was his 'Ruka.

He took a few steps over to the bed side and slowly lifted a hand to stroke along Iruka's jaw line. The other hand finding one of Iruka's to hold onto. The Chuunin stirred but did not wake as Kakashi sat next to him and smiled for the first time in months knowing that his 'Ruka was home and safe.

"It's been too long 'Ru, one month, ten days and an hour too long." He whispered lifting Iruka's hand to his masked covered lips to kiss it on each of the knuckles.

…

Outside the door the kunoichi watched them together; it was nice to see Kakashi happier. She was currently stood there with Naruto temporary Hokage as Tsunade was away on 'business' in Suna, but he made sure that everyone called him 'Hokage' while he had the chance.

She had prevented him from entering; she knew he wanted to be in there with them as Iruka was important to him just as he was important to her, as they both were.

Naruto was glad that Iruka was back, safe and that Kakashi was going to hopefully be back to his normal self soon. He had really smiled when he had looked through the window in the door for the first time since the Chuunin had gone on the mission.

The kunoichi turned to leave so she could get ready, _stupid missions_, and drop off her hitai-ate which she had forgotten to take off that morning, when she was stopped by a loud voice coming from the room.

"Iruka?"

_A/N thanks for reading and to those who have already left reviews a big thank you. this chapter i have struggled with (mainly the last part) and so any pointers would be greatly appreciated, thanks, kuroda_


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